On that night, Ruyue, who had always been an entertainer without selling her body, let him stay in her room.
He indulged in her beautiful body, and he had once vowed, "Ruyue, I want you, I will marry you."
Before he could finish speaking, she gently covered his lips, shaking her head, "No, don't speak big words; I might believe them."
He became anxious, holding her hand tightly, "Why do you think they are big words? I will marry you, do you believe me?"
Ruyue smiled, "How can the third young master of the Minister's family marry a courtesan as his wife or concubine? As long as we can be together, not feeling sad or lonely, that's enough. I don't covet your wealth and status, nor do I want others to know."
They loved each other for more than two years, and no one knew when they were together or entwined in passion. Finally, one day, she left, and no one knew about their relationship.
He turned around, thinking how sensible Ruyue was; after all, his marriage had already been decided. His fiancée was Princess Xinghui of the Prince of Jing's family, the senior disciple of National Master Tian Qiao. If Ruyue were still around and their relationship was exposed, he would be in big trouble!
Thinking about this, tears fell for her again.
His vision blurred, and suddenly he felt someone gently touch his earlobe from behind.
He turned back, only to find that it was Ruyue! But she looked different than before, her hair curled up, her skin bluish, and she softly said, "Young Master, Young Master, play the zither again, and I'll dance for you!"
He was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and he shrank into the corner of the bed, "Ah! Ah!"
***
At the residence of the Minister Pei, the servants led Zhao Lanzhi into the elegant room. However, they were taken aback by the scene inside, and the servants felt embarrassed.
"Young Master, Young Master, are you having another nightmare? Wake up, this is Official Zhao who has come to see you!"
Xianya took a deep breath, regained his senses, and then understood the situation. Instantly, he felt a splitting headache and his face turned pale.
Zhao Lanzhi approached with concern, "Elder brother, take it is easy. Are you alright?"
Xianya waved his hand, "It's nothing, just an old ailment."
"Is it because of the injuries you sustained in the military back then that haven't fully healed?"
"Yes," Xianya responded, "You saved my life, but the arrow poison got into my bones. It won't get better. The pain is unbearable!"
The servant brought a chair for Zhao Lanzhi and placed it beside Xianya's bed, "I remember that the military doctor prescribed a prescription for you, and it contains a medicine called 'opium' for pain relief. Are you still using it?"
At the mention of 'opium,' Xianya immediately looked wary as he glanced at Zhao Lanzhi, "Yes, I use it. But besides 'opium,' I use other medicines as well. Being in Luoyang is good; the imperial physicians here are more skilled. By the way, Lanzhi, how is your case progressing?"
The servant brought the prepared herbal decoction to Xianya, and he took it into his hands.
Zhao Lanzhi thought for a moment. He initially didn't want to talk much about the case, but today was different. He looked up at Xianya and spoke slowly, hoping to find some unintentional clues from his expressions and words, "I'm investigating two cases simultaneously. One is the case of smuggling salt, and the person involved in human trafficking has confessed. The other case involves the tragic death of a courtesan, Ruyue from Qianduan Pavilion. The original suspect I had identified was rescued from prison, but during my further investigation, some new clues emerged."
Upon hearing this, Xianya's hand trembled, and the medicine spilled on the floor. He immediately tried to conceal his embarrassment, "Someone, come!"
The servant hurriedly came forward, "Young Master!"
Xianya said, "It's hot! Too hot!"
The servant quickly cleaned up the spilled black liquid, and Xianya wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, all of which were observed by Zhao Lanzhi.
While he was thinking about how to proceed, someone came in to report, "Young Master, Princess Xinghui has come to visit."
Xianya seemed to seize a lifeline and forced himself to get up to see off the guest, "Lanzhi, you see, the princess has come to visit me. Let's meet on another day. What do you think?"
Zhao Lanzhi didn't insist and stood up to bow politely, "Elder brother, I shall take my leave. Take care!"
In order to avoid Princess Xinghui, the servant led Zhao Lanzhi to take a detour around the corridor that bypassed the pond. The pond was filled with blooming lotus flowers. From across the pool's emerald green and pink colors, he saw the princess accompanied by maids and several guards passing by on the other side. He noticed that the leading guard for the princess was his good friend Jiang Ren. It then dawned on him that when they had met at Qianduan Pavilion before, Jiang Ren had mentioned that he was working for a wealthy family, and it turned out to be the Prince of Jing's mansion. He was serving and protecting this Princess Xinghui.
As if sensing being observed, the person on the other side of the pond turned her head and met Zhao Lanzhi's gaze from afar. She had fair skin and a haughty expression despite her young age. Zhao Lanzhi realized that he had seen her before – she was the woman who took the heavily intoxicated Jiang Ren away that morning. He remembered her light-colored eyes.
Zhao Lanzhi didn't dare to look any longer and respectfully nodded to the princess from across the pond.
Yuan An returned home completely soaked and looking disheveled. Perhaps she caught a cold, as her nose felt congested. The more she thought about what happened earlier, the angrier she got. She had risked her life to get hold of the account book from the dwarf boss, which could lead her to the source of the poison. But that annoying Zhao Lanzhi had managed to throw it into the water! Her only lead was now lost, and she regretted teaming up with him in the first place. Yuan An was incredibly frustrated, and in her anger, she swept the teacup off the table, shattering it into pieces.
Shitou and Xiaoyu knocked on the door and came in with a bowl of sweet potato soup.
"Young mistress, try this," Xiaoyu said.
Yuan An, who hadn't solved the case yet, felt a bit apologetic towards the two. Though she was still upset, she didn't want to take it out on them anymore. So, she took a sip of the soup and said, "It tastes good, sweet, and delightful. What is it?"
"It's sweet potato soup. In poor families, we don't have anything fancier to offer guests. This is the best treat we can provide. By being here with you, it's like offering borrowed flowers to the Buddha," Xiaoyu explained.
**(It's an idiom meaning to win favor or influence using sb else's property...basically saying they are only here because of her goodwill)**
Yuan An glanced at Shitou and said, "You're fortunate, Shitou." Then, she put down the bowl and sighed, "Alas, it's a pity that I haven't caught the real culprit and cleared your names."
Shitou rubbed his hands together, his thick eyebrows furrowing, "Young mistress, we know the effort you've put in for us. Surviving for three days is already a stroke of great luck. We've said all that we needed to say, and there are no regrets in this lifetime. Please don't get upset! We are worried about you."
Upon hearing this, Yuan An felt even worse and stood up emotionally, "Please don't say such things. We haven't reached that point yet. I still haven't figured things out!"
There is still hope; the matter isn't settled yet!
Yuan An was sweating profusely and felt extremely anxious. She didn't know what to do, whether to stand or sit. In her agitation, she accidentally knocked down the pearl hairpin left by her mother. She picked it up and was reminded of something. She looked at Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, think again, did Miss Ru Yue have any close acquaintances or receive any significant gifts before her death? Is there any possibility that there might be evidence somewhere?"
Xiaoyu chewed her lip and thought for a while. "Miss Ru Yue had exceptional dancing skills, but she never had any intimate clients at the Qianduan Pavilion. However, oh, I remember now! Just a few days before her death, she asked me to deliver a box to a jewelry shop she was familiar with."
"Oh?" Yuan An was intrigued. "What was in the box?"
"It was a jade hairpin. It didn't seem extraordinary, but Miss Ru Yue seemed to attach great importance to it. She couldn't find a suitable place to store it in the entire room. So, she told me to take it to the jade artisan for reference and have him make a matching pair of earrings. But later, after Miss Ru Yue had the accident, no one went to retrieve her hairpin," Xiaoyu explained.
Yuan An thought that this could be a new lead. Following this clue might lead to new evidence. She decided, "Instead of staying at home, I'd better go out and search for clues. What's the name of the jewelry shop you delivered the box to?"
"It's called Han Xiu Jewelry Shop," Xiaoyu replied.
Just as Yuan An was about to leave, she hesitated. She realized that going out without any evidence would be pointless. How could anyone at the shop hand over Miss Ru Yue's hairpin without proper identification? Luckily, she had that person!
She quickly went to the cellar, and after a short while, she came back with something in her hand – a black sandalwood waist plaque with golden letters, the kind used by official constables. On the plaque, three large majestic characters were engraved: Zhao Lanzhi. Yuan An smiled in delight, thinking that the old man in the cellar was indeed remarkable, he could make anything from scratch. She tied the waist plaque to her waist and went out to investigate under the guise of Zhao Lanzhi.
~Thank You for Reading, Please Comment Below~
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